A man must fill his life with meaning, meaning is not automatically given to life. It is hard work to fill one's life with meaning. That I do not think you understand yet. A life filled with meaning is worthy of rest. I want to be worthy of rest when I am no longer here. Do you understand what I am saying?
-The Chosen

11/16/2004

Have you seen the Mel Gibson movie, "Conspiracy Theory"? It's a great movie, but one of the interesting plot themes is that the assasins are constantly buying the book Catcher in the Rye. As Gibson says, "every time I see it, I have to buy it. And every time I don't see it, I have to go find it so I can buy it" I have found that I have the SAME PROBLEM, in two different ways. The first is buying books. That may be the subject of another post another day. Today I would like to discuss my other obsession... slurpees.

Slurpees (frozen coke drinks at 7-11) are probably one of the most pleasurable things in the world. They're good to keep you cool on a hot day, but they're tasty enough to be good on a cold day, too. They're very cheap, which is terrific for college students and CEOs alike. They are large enough to be satisfying, but not so large as to scare off potential customers. They really are perfect.

I realized my curious addiction to this fine product last night. I was EXTREMELY thirsty. Not "I need a drink" thirsty, or even, "I need to gulp down water" thirsty, but rather, "I need to gulp down water and THEN go to the store and THEN pick out several drinks so that I can quench my thirst AND prepare for future thirst" thirsty. So, I gulped down some water and then zipped over to my local 7-11. There, I found milk on sale, orange juice, and pepsi. So what did I do, you ask? Naturally, I got them all, stocked the fridge, and GOT A SLURPEE. I didn't have to, of course, but I'm finding that it is nearly impossible to walk into a 7-11 without getting one. IN FACT, there have been times where I went to 7-11 not intending to get one, but still felt a keen sense of disappointment if the machine was down.

Ok, so why is this important? Very simple. I'm realizing more and more that the ability to be happy is just that... an ability. Happiness is not a circumstance. It's a state of mind that comes from liking things about your life, from being content with what God has given you. If he's given everything we need, then we should be able to be thankful for everything we have, because it's what we need. Slurpees are just one more thing that God has allowed for our pleasure, one more thing that we can be happy about, and one more thing that can contribute to our general contentment.

So, the next time you indulge in whatever little thing pleases you, be it slurpees or bubble tea or mocha latte frappachino, consider this... God has given you everything you need to be content. If you aren't, who is left to give the blame to?

p.s. Thanks to everyone who's been watching out for Bethany and I. In case you haven't heard, my mom has cancer. She just had a major operation last week and is doing well. They think they got all of it, but we won't know for certain for a few years. We went to visit her on Saturday, and she kept repeating a line from my favorite old hymn; "it is well with my soul." If she can be happy, can't you?